Get To Know "Charli Baltimore"

Charli Baltimore is by far one of my most exciting interviews yet! Most interviews I conduct the artist is very leery about speaking with me because I am a gossip type site. As they get to talk to me and get comfortable they realize I'm not out to get anyone. I'm really just here to get some information and get the facts straight from the horses mouth. Charli was open and gave me some very valuable information that I'm sure most people didn't even know about her. So sit back, relax and get to know your girl and mine "Charli Baltimore".

NYC: What has Charli Baltimore been up to lately?
CBM: I'm focusing on my daughters career. She started modelling for Ford modelling agency at the age of 14. Right now, she's the face of Abercrombie & Fitch and I've been managing her career. She just recently graduated from high school and decided that she wanted to get into the music business. She currently has 2 deals on the table.

NYC: How old is your daughter now?
CBM: I actually have 2 daughters. My oldest is 18 and my youngest is 13.

NYC: Oh ok. How do you feel about your daughter wanting to be in the music industry?
CBM: At first, I was kind of hesitant. Only because I came in it the hard way. I didn't have anybody to guide me. But she really wanted to do it so I was like, you know what, if you want to do it, you got my full support. Actually, after this interview, I"m on my way to the studio to make sure she's cool.

NYC: I heard you had issues with Murder Inc. I'm not aware of those issues, can you get into that or would you not want to go into that?
CBM: Yeah. We stopped speaking for 4 years. It wasn't a situation where I was dropped. I asked Irv to release me from the label and he didn't really want to. I mean I always had a great creative relationship with Irv and I believed in him as a producer. So it took his assistant and my manager to kind of put us together for a meeting earlier this year and we sat down and talked and ironed out our differences. Irv said something to me that struck a cord which was "Yo! to me you was always the hottest chick in the game". "As a writer and an artist I always believed in you". I looked at that and said you know what....it's worth another shot. It's different now. The game is different. I'm not trying to step back into this game like Yo! I want to be this rapper! It's more of a business move. I have 2 daughters and basically everything is centered around them.

NYC: I understand! I have 4! So I know exactly what you're talking about. (We both laugh) Trust me I know it's hectic. That's why you and I have been playing phone tag soo much.
CBM: Man! I be in the studio till 4 or 5 in the morning, then I gotta get up at 6:30 to take my other daughter to school. You know I don't do the nanny thing. I had my daughter when I was 14! I'm a hands on Mom!

NYC: I knew we had something in common! (We laugh) I had my son when I was 14. So I know me and you is rockin on the same page.
CBM: You totally understand it but alot of people don't understand that. All of that, Why don't you get a nanny? Oh fuck that! These are my kids and I'm going to raise my own kids! Like, I don't need no one to help me! I'm doing this myself so if it requires little sleep or no sleep then...for them to be successful and not to walk the same path that I did, then it is what it is!

NYC: Yes! I feel you! Definitely! Being that you are in the studio and working on your own project when can we expect to hear something from Charli?
CBM: Honestly, because of how.....I'm working on my stuff but it's not consistent. I'm not consistently in the studio and focusing on me because I'm more focused on my daughter. So I don't want to prioritize it in that aspect. Like mine will come when it comes but right now my daughter is top priority! It's important that she stay consistent because she's new. She hasn't really been in the studio that much so she has to get used to the whole hearing herself on records. I can't really give you a specific date. With me and Irv, it's kind of like a natural thing. If we are in the studio, he might play something and say "Yo! you gotta get on there right now". It's not a forced situation where I gotta go to the studio, I gotta do this record. If I'm in there and I hear something, I'm like Yo! I'm getting on that.

NYC: How is your relationship with the other artists on Murder Inc?
CBM: I never had any problems with anybody on the label. I haven't seen Ashanti since I've been back. I know she's not really dealing with Murder Inc. but when I was there initially, it was me, her, Ja and Vita. Everybody was cool.

NYC: I saw a segment of you on Sub 0 DVD.
CBM: Uh-huh.
NYC: He was asking you alot of questions about rumors. How comfortable are you with talking about rumors because when we talk about Charli Baltimore....Charli Baltimore is a historical name in the hip hop industry.
CBM: Right.
NYC: And because you are who you are, there's so much that I want to ask you but....
CBM: Go ahead. You will know if I'm comfortable, I'll just tell you.
NYC: In that clip, Sub 0 asked you a question about Jay Z and ....
CBM: Undeas.

NYC: Yes! Was there ever any type of relationship between you and Jay Z?
CBM: We had a relationship that was based on a friendship at one point. Like with me, if I'm in any sort of relationship it has to be mutual. If you are mutual friends then you are mutual friends. If you are mutual fuckin, then you are mutually fuckin!

WE BOTH LAUGH!

CBM: There should never be a point where one person is putting in 60% and the other person is putting in 150%. That goes with any kind of relationship. I don't know how Jay is now but back then, I felt as though Jay was all about Jay. I felt like in any sort of relationship no matter what it is, it has to be mutual. You have to have a mutual respect to accomplish anything, especially if you are trying to do business. Of course everybody knows BIG was trying to do the "Commission". It was supposed to be me, BIG and Jay. When you're a female, people always try to pigeon hole you and put you in a relationship with somebody you don't even have a relationship with. You could walk down the street with any dude, I mean you could be hanging with Choke No Joke (a mutual friend of both Charli and myself) and somebody is gonna say yall fuckin!

NYC: Yeah! I agree!
CBM: I'm just the kind of girl who always got along better with guys. So anytime you see me, I'm either by myself or with my daughters or some niggas. I'm just a cool chick and I like to be around dudes. All my best friends are men! I don't have any women best friends. I been down that road and been shitted on by women. My best friend is a man. People accuse us of fuckin and it's never been any of that. You know people have said there was an incident that occured over me (she's speaking of the incident between Jay Z and Undeas that Cam'ron mentions in his diss song to Jay Z)...I mean, I don't know what the fuck! If it did occur over me I didn't know nothing about it. I don't know what that was about cuz I came after the fact. I don't know why this nigga stabbed this nigga but people are going to say what they want to say. People were saying I was fuckin both of them and that's why it happened. MAN! Whatever! If people want to talk about me then knock yourself out! People have been saying shit about me forever! So it's not shocking.

NYC: You're right! Alot of people do talk about Charli! I asked Choke for months to get me this interview with you!
CBM: When you step into this music biz your personal business is really going to be a priority in alot of people's mindset. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just that people like to know.

NYC: Well, I'm glad you brought that up because Faith Evans came out with a book called "Keep The Faith".
CBM: Hmmm.
NYC: In the book she talks about her experience with BIG and she discussed you a lot in the book but she never calls you Charli Baltimore. She always refers to you as Tiffany.
CBM: She shouldn't. At the time I was Tiffany. When Biggie and I were in a car accident that's when I became Charli Baltimore. It came from us being in the hospital together. I was already doing the rap thing but I didn't have a rap name. So she would call me Tiffany. I had discussed this with Faith. Me and Faith had words and we definitely had our little moments but we never had any physical altercations. It wasn't anything totally disrespectful. When BIG passed, I called Faith and gave my condolences to her children because I thought that was the right thing to do. She knew about me and I knew that BIG still had feelings for her. They were going through a separation, a divorce. The problem that comes is that Kim (Lil Kim) made it seem like she had a relationship with BIG that they really didn't have. I don't aggressively go at it and try to dispute it, like if you want to make people think that yall had a relationship that was outside of sex, then that's fine. That's your business. People believe that. So it's always like well, where did Charli fit in? Or where did Tiffany come in? Me and BIG were in a relationship!

NYC: Well Faith says that! She definitely says that you and BIG were in a relationship!
CBM: Well, I want you to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak. Kim goes out of her way to say she was BIG's girl. NO! YOU WAS NOT HIS GIRL! Straight up! She wasn't! She benefitted from the situation because she became Lil Kim. She has a career and she's grateful to a nigga for helping her in that aspect but she was never his girl! If you're running around constantly saying it, you would think a person with half a brain would say...that don't sound right! That's like Faith constantly walking around saying Oh! I was BIG's wife! Like....we know you were his wife. You don't have to say it 100,000 times. So, I don't get into that. This is probably the first time that I ever went into that conversation publicly. It's only because you and I have a vibe. Everybody that was around during that era knows I wasn't some jawn he was dealing with. BIG and I were together. He bought me a car. I mean niggas wasn't doing stuff for no reason. It was no game!

NYC: She definitely says that you were BIG's girl.
CBM: I was his girl! I have no ill feelings toward Faith because they were going through a rough situation. Me and her would argue but I always tried not to be disrespectful because at the end of the day, they were married. I mean you marry somebody after 9 days you know it's not really going to work work. Especially when you're both in the music business. I mean Faith never really disrespected me at all. Not that I can recall. We definitely had words but it was nothing like with KIM!

NYC: You know that was one of my questions because in the book Faith describes in detail how she would stomp out these chicks and the physical altercations she had with KIM but when it comes to you...she gives you respect. Like in a way, I was like well wait a minute if you acting like this with everybody else.....
CBM: Even though BIG and her weren't together, you know, he loved her. And that's real talk. I mean he might have loved her but that shit didn't work out. I never disrespected her to the level of saying anything out of pocket. KIM on the other hand, I don't know what the hell she thought or maybe she's delusional as to what BIG and her had going on. I don't know. Alot of people profitted off of BIG's death but that was never ever ever my intention. And that's why I don't talk about it cuz I feel like there's no need to. I don't want to profit off of somebody's death. BIG recognized my talent. Obviously, he hasn't written any rhymes for me cuz he died so I'm not going to sit around and constantly talk about BIG. My first deal, that's basically what they wanted me to do. They wanted me to constantly discuss BIG. I was like, I'm not doing it! That's not what he would want and I know him. We were together for 2 years. I think that people who should discuss it should be his mother, his wife or maybe his best friends. So other than that, I don't feel as though nobody should be running around here claiming all this shit on BIG because BIG didn't really like none of them like that! So that's just my opinion. (Laughs)

NYC: My other question to you in regards to BIG was did you ever have any negative experiences with Lil Kim?
CBM: The only thing that I can remember is having a really crazy argument over the phone. I never had....and she's been in my presence many many many times cuz I used to go to the studio with BIG to work on the album. I know Sub 0 said some shit about somebody rolling on me or something and I was like nigga! (Laughs) You better do a little more of a background check on me before you start saying somebody rolled on me! (Laughs) Don't let the light skin fool you!
NYC: I agree! (And we crack up together cause I'm high yellow as well.)
CBM: My experience with KIM was an argument over the phone. I didn't know her and BIG was dealing with each other. I didn't know they were fuckin!
NYC: Wow!
CBM: I've seen BIG flip out on her a couple of times and I was like "Why is he flippin on her?" BIG would tell me she ain't doing what she's supposed to be doing. But I did not know they were fuckin for at least the first year we were together. I mean I was around that nigga everywhere! I was in that "Get Money" video! She was there, I mean come on it was their video! I didn't know they were fuckin! I had no clue! So one day we got into an argument over the phone. It started because I answered BIG's house phone and apparently she was claiming she had been there the night before and BIG told her that we broke up. Fuck this! That's what she was screaming and hollering at me. I'm like, well, obviously, we didn't break up because I'm here and answered the phone. (She laughs as she remembers the incident) I don't know what to tell you. She was like really screaming. It was a heated argument and she was saying some crazy shit as far as...I guess...whatever they did the night before but my whole thing is well, I'm here today and I don't have to tell you, you're not coming over here tonight!

I LAUGH AT THAT COMMENT

CBM: I mean you could be mad. I don't know what to tell you. I wasn't in shock. I mean he tried to deny it but I was like Yo! she had entirely too much information. I remember one Christmas, BIG had bought me this jewelry and I remember going to the studio and KIM came up to me and told me the jewelry was really nice. It was a bracelet and a ring. It was a diamond ring and she asked me "Did you get that for Christmas?" I was like yeah BIG bought it for me for Christmas. Then I remember looking at her face like...it was ballin up! She said it was nice but you could tell it wasn't sincere, it wasn't genuine. Even after that it still didn't dawn on me. She was mad as shit though! I remember BIG asking me what should he get KIM for Christmas and I was like shit! I don't know! He was like maybe I'll get her a watch and I was like Oh! That's nice. Whatever. I was still not aware that they were fuckin. I guess when she saw my shit, she just flipped. I thought about the incident that night but I had no clue. I thought they were cool. He wound up eventually telling me but he never elaborated that it was anything deeper than that. After the confrontation over the phone, I remember her doing an interview on the radio and kind of like....they was asking BIG was he in a relationship. He was like yeah, I'm in a relationship with a girl from Philly and her name is Tiffany. I remember him calling me cuz I wasn't speaking to him cuz I was like you know this is crazy! This is some real shit and he was calling me like Yo! I just did an interview and I told everybody you were my girl. Like, I guess that was supposed to make it better? (Laughs) I was like Yo! You really need to get your shit together! You got too much shit going on! But as far as taking it any further than that...once he died, KIM was like she was his girl. I thought that was really inappropriate cuz at the time of his death he was still married to Faith and she had just had a baby. As a woman, she should've had some consideration. Everybody's different, you know, maybe she doesn't understand that cuz she doesn't have any kids. I don't know. I know I was really hesitant about talking about BIG at that time. I knew that, that baby was a newborn baby and regardless of whether or not they were together it had to be a crazy situation for Faith to deal with. Especially with a baby. So I never wanted to discuss it any further than you know, the people that knew.

NYC: I see.
CBM: I remember being at the funeral and this chick (Lil Kim) fell out on the floor and I was just like Yo! What the fuck! Like, Faith was up there singing and she was very composed and very respectful. And here goes this girl (Lil Kim) on the floor and she starts rolling around on the floor! I was like what the fuck is going on? I was in the back, in the cut. I had some black shades on. There was 100,000 bitches there and I don't know what bitches was...Yo! I remember this girl (Lil Kim) walked up and damn near jumped in the casket!
NYC: Who? Kim?
CBM: At the funeral! I was like Yo! This shit is crazy! It was like a circus! I've been through alot of deaths and I've seen alot of people get killed. I've been to alot of funerals and I've never seen anybody actually get into the aisle and roll!!!

WE LAUGH

CBM: If anybody should've been doing that it should've been Faith!
NYC: Yeah.
CBM: She (Faith) was up there singing, you know, it ain't like she was crying. She was singing like this was her way of respecting her husband. Meanwhile, KIM was rolling on the floor. I just thought whatever! It was bugged out to me.

NYC: Now I want to ask you your opinion on something. It seemed like BIG had a certain taste in women.
CBM: Yeah.
NYC: He liked the pretty, light skinned women. I just want to ask your opinion on this...How can I put it? I don't want to put it in a way where...
CBM: Put it blunt! (Laughs)

NYC: Ok. Well, you know, Lil Kim has changed alot physically with the surgeries. Do you think she has a complex with light skinned women?
CBM: In my opinion, I think that anybody that alters their appearance to that extent just has issues. I couldn't tell you if she wanted to be light skinned. I know she definitely looks alot different than she did. I thought that KIM was a cute girl back then. You know, I don't judge a person on their complexion. I just happen to be real light. There's beautiful light skinned women, there's beautiful brown skinned women, there's beautiful women of all shades. But to alter your appearance to that extent, I don't know what was running through her mind to make her want to do that. Even if I was a person who was into plastic surgery....shit! I can't see myself wanting to change....I mean I might want to go to the tanning salon or would want to lay out to get a little sun but I think you gotta be going through something to want to alter your face to that extent!

I LAUGH

CBM: I don't think it had anything to do with BIG. I think it had something to do with what she wanted to look like.

NYC: The only reason why I ask is because she looks alot lighter.
CBM: Well, she definitely looks different than she did. (Laughs) I don't know! The plastic surgery shit kind of scares me. I mean, I'm not against people doing the shit to alter things that would make them feel better about themselves...but if you're altering your appearance where you are looking like a whole different person then I can't get with that. I know it started with a boob job and it evolved into something else. You never know what you're going to wake up to! (Laughs) You don't know if that shit is going to work! That ain't cool.

WE LAUGH

NYC: There was a rumor that you were dating Maino.
CBM: I'm not going to deny that because I was dealing with Maino. He approached me. At first, I didn't even know who he was. He's not even my preference because I usually don't go for light skinned dudes. He was cool and we kicked it for awhile. Shit didn't work out though. So it is what it is. I'm not going to deny it, I mean, Maino is alright with me.

WE LAUGH

NYC: Well, Charli, I want to thank you for clearing up the rumors for me. I've kept you on here long enough and I know you have to run but I really appreciate you taking out the time to chat with me! We gotta get up so I can take some photos and get some drops from you.
CBM: No problem, thanks.

Editors Note: I was just asked to write Charli Baltimore's book. I will be writing her side of the story. I am currently looking for a publisher, so if you are interested, please hit me up at viv.nycgossipgirl@gmail.com. Serious Inquiries Only!!!! Thank you Arthur "Choke No Joke" Alston and Charli Baltimore for this opportunity to show the world what I am capable of!